Music and Lyrics
by myobscuregalaxy
Summary: Jessica Gilbert is the middle child of the Gilbert clan and decides to audition for The Voice to prove herself in the music industry. But when she meets Damon Salvatore, one of the judges, will Jess be able to control her emotions or will her relationship with Damon interfere with the competition?


**HELLO MY FELLOW FELINES! This is my first fanfiction (that I've published) so pleaaase tell me what you think and leave a review!**

**Here's a longer summary of what I expect to happen in this story:**

**Jessica Gilbert is Elena's sister. They look nothing alike (i.e Jess has blonde hair and Elena has brown) but this shall all be discussed later ;) Jess is a talented singer and after the death of her parent's she decided that she needed to do something for herself that would not only benefit her, but Jeremy and Elena. She auditions for The Voice (you know, that singing tv show?) and blows away the judges, including stone hard Damon Salvatore who is rarely impressed by anyone. Will Jess and Damon grow dangerously close or will he fail to see her potential? Does she even have what it takes to become America's next superstar?**

**Stay tuned and read on... ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story aside from Jessica. All credit for the other characters goes straight to L. J Smith or Julie Plec or ANY OTHER OF THOSE VAMPIRE DIARIES PEOPLE BUT NOT ME! glad we got that cleared up :)**

Chapter 1: What it takes

**Jessica's POV:**

"You're going to do great, Jess." I looked up at my little brother. Jeremy and Elena were the only ones I had left. I would do this for them. And for my parents. And for me.

Elena jumped into my arms with tears in her eyes.

"Whoa there, what's with the waterworks sis?" I choked out in her tight grip.

"I'm just s-so proud of you!" She half sobbed. I patted her back awkwardly. I was never good at comforting people.

"You're on in 30 seconds, Ms. Gilbert." Someone told me from backstage. My sister released me reluctantly and I gasped for air.

"Wish me luck." I told them before turning and heading up the stairs to the stage; the stage where my entire life could change.

"Okay… 3, 2, 1. You're on." The man shot me a reassuring smile that I returned. This was it.

As I walked out on stage I saw everything as it normally was on TV. A large stage was lit with blue lights and sprawled out beneath my feet while a giant hand in the shape of a peace sign held a microphone to my left. The audience was larger than I had expected and butterflies stirred in my stomach.

Then of course there were the four judges, none of which I could see due to how they were seated with their backs to me. That was the point of The Voice after all; to be judged on my voice and not my looks, though I did try especially hard today to get my outfit just right.

I carried my guitar out to the stool that waited for me at center stage and seated myself before I began to strum along and lose myself in the music.

**Damon's POV:**

We had gone through a countless number of auditions already and I was about ready to walk off and leave. No one was remotely good enough for the music industry and if they were they would pick to work with my brother Stefan or Bonnie. Meanwhile the mousy or girly ones went straight to Caroline.

A few girls that had auditioned were noticeably disappointed when I didn't turn around for them but that's because they couldn't sing for their lives.

The only good thing that had happened so far was that I got my hands on Mason Lockwood, a guy in his mid-twenties with real musical talent. Now all I needed was his counter-part. Someone that could really challenge him. The only problem there was that I was running out of patience to see who it would be.

Our chairs spun back around so that we were facing the audience and I slumped down comfortably while the next artist came out on the stage. When I heard the soft plucking of a guitar I perked up though. Rarely did anyone audition with their voice _and _an instrument. I just hoped they were good.

"_Lay where you're laying, don't make a sound_

_I know they're watching, they're watching_

_All the commotion, the kiddie like play_

_Has people talking, talking"_

The moment she began singing I recognized the song as Sex On Fire by Kings Of Leon. I would have pressed the button right then and there had I not been so intrigued by the combination of her soft voice and the rough lyrics. How could someone who sounded so innocent sound so sexy at the same time?

Caroline had pressed her button almost immediately, followed closely by Bonnie and Stefan. I shook my head at them. So eager.

I would sit through this one and relish in her divine sound.

"_You, your sex is on fire_

_And you, your sex is on fire_

_Consumed with what's to transpire…"_

The song was coming to an end and I banged my hand down on the button so hard I'm surprised it didn't break. I spun around and came face to face with the young girl who warmed my cold heart with music. She was stunning.

**Elena's POV:**

The moment the song ended the crowd went insane and a smile broke out across my face. Every judge had turned around, which shocked me like a lightning bolt. I had only really expected one person, if any, and I was lucky to get four times that!

I stood up from the stool with the guitar by my side and smiled over at the judges.

Caroline, the bouncy blonde girl who had pressed her button first, was squirming around excitedly in her seat like a kid on a sugar high while the other three artists were a bit more composed.

It struck me then how famous they all were.

Bonnie Bennet was a famous pop artist who had just come out wither her third album, Caroline Forbes was around twenty like I was but had already made her way into the music industry with an album that won her a number of awards, and Stefan Salvatore was known for his diverse taste in music which ranged from country to pop. Not to mention that he was rated People magazines sexiest man alive last year!

But out of all of these people I was most star struck to see Damon Salvatore, who was the last judge to press his button. To be honest I hadn't expected him to press his button at all, knowing how selective he was of artists of the show but, hey! I wasn't one to complain!

Damon Salvatore was a rock and roll legend! He cut numerous albums and if I remembered correctly he even owned a record label! Working with him would be a definite boost in my music career, even if I didn't get very far into the competition.

Not to mention that he was sexy as hell with dark hair, a leather jacket, and piercing blue eyes that sliced through me like a knife. I felt vulnerable under his stare, though I could hardly care because I felt as though I was floating on a cloud after the performance I gave.

But now came the hard part.

Because all of the judges pressed their buttons, I had to pick which one I would work with, and considering the fact that I hadn't expected any of them to turn around, I had no idea who I would choose.

"Wow, what's your name?" Caroline asked me, leaning over in her seat to get a better look at me.

"Jessica Gilbert."

"Well, let me just start off by saying that you are amazing!" The crowd went wild again.

"Thank you." The butterflies in my stomach were threatening to burrow through my skin as I spoke.

"I'm actually surprised that my brother didn't press his button sooner." Stefan gestured towards Damon. "That's how good you were. You have a very distinctive voice that is so sweet but you definitely threw us a curve ball with that song. I think you did a great job and I can teach you to control your voice and extend your genre range if you choose me as your coach."

"I loved this." Bonnie spoke up. "I love your style, I love the song, I love how innocent you are, and I think that I can really help you transform and bloom into something incredible for this industry."

My head was spinning with their compliments and attempts to win me over. Nothing could have prepared me for this; it was like a dream come true.

"Jessica, I can tell that you're really special." All heads snapped over to Damon, whose face was emotionless as he spoke. "You have that fire in you that I can bring out to make your music even better. And it's not that you should learn to sing in different genres," he shot a look at Stefan, "but instead really embrace your edgier side and use that fire to its full potential. If you train with me then I can help you win this." He leaned back in his seat as he laid out his proposition.

"So, which one is it going to be?" Stefan asked eagerly. Members of the audience were throwing different names out at me but I could only recognize one amongst the chaos. I knew who I would choose.

**Oh, intrigue! Well, I hope you guys liked it but even if you didn't PLEASE REVIEW so I can know whether or not I should keep writing this story! There will be much more character development as the story goes on but I hope I gave you good enough of a sneak peek! Also, I've decided that any and all recommendations and ideas for this story are welcome so throw them at me! If you have songs that you want Jess to sing or things that you want to happen then please tell me and I'll see what I can do!**

**~See ya later, homies~ **


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